TheTheologiansCafe's Xanga Site

March 6, 2010

A man is claiming he was banned from WalMart for life. He was leaving WalMart and he set off the RFID alarm.

The WalMart employees demanded to see his receipt. He refused because he felt that it was an invasion of his privacy since he had not stolen anything. The police were called over and he handed over the receipt to them and he was cleared.

One of the WalMart employees wanted him to sign a “notification of trespass.” The police officer gave him a trespass warning so he can no longer go back to WalMart. Here is the link: Link

Should the man be banned from WalMart for refusing to show his receipt to the employee at the door?

It’s annoying to have to go through that when you didn’t steal anything… but he should have to like everyone else. Ban for life is harsh, considering he didn’t actually steal… but, their call I guess. At Wal-Mart in this small town, if the alarm goes off they just look down into your cart and go, “oh the security device probably wasn’t erased on your ***whatever random item may have had an imbedded anti-theft alarm, for example; DVD****** and tell you to go ahead and go. They don’t rescan it, double check, or anything. You could rob them blind.

It’s not that big of a deal. If he didn’t steal anything why did he care so much? I mean really, it’s not that big of a deal. Personally the dude should grow up and start acting like an adult and quit making other people’s lives hell. It wouldn’t taken less than a minute to check the receipt, check his bag and send him on his way. Good God.

Sure, people get punished for using their rights all the time. Walmart is a private company. Its just like you have the right to decline a breathalyzer test, but if you do, your license gets suspended automatically. Another example, you have the right to smoke tobacco, but some employers will refuse to hire you

I suppose it’s a grey area: depends on the details of each side of the story. Still … being un-American, I am not so sure about Walmart. Sounds like too much fuss, really, particularly as from what little I know of it it’s just another big chain … meh.

Who cares? Wal-Mart and any other store in the world can ban anyone they want.

Besides, there’s like 1000 Wal-Marts. Are they all going to have his picture hanging in the doorway of every single Wal-Mart so that the greeters turn him away?

Meijer has better food anyways. *cough*

@phantomblogger30 - I don’t even understand why they ask for your reciept. I’ve set off the beeper a few times. Usually there’s nobody even there to stop you, but when they do – how the heck do they know what you’re stealing by just looking at your reciept? You really could rob them blind.

@squeakysoul - Agreed. People like that make a huge deal out of the smallest things, and then they end up being in the news for being douchebags. Get over yourself! Hope they doesn’t wanna fly on an airplane or go to a concert any time soon.

I work at Wal-Mart…. it sucks (just had to state that right off the bat). But having said so and worked there for as long as I have.. there has to be information missing from this story. Where I agree it is a bit extreme to have been banned for life, or what have you… there is always more to a story. Also, I know people greeters, and asset protection. Once the guy is out the door there is nothing they can do. They can’t go after him. And seriously, if he kept walking– nothing would have happened. Never does. But he is the one to stop and tell them he would not show him the reciept. Which is his own problem. If he was soooooo against it, he should have kept walking. And really what is so personal about your receipt. Since all they do it scan down it looking for the most expensive item, the register number and cashier number. That’s all they want. We are also suppose to look in your bags — we don’t most of the time, because that is more of an invasion of privacy. I think this is just a screwed up story and that there are some missing pieces to the story that we are not being told….. But being banned for life for not showing a reciept I just have a hard to believe that they would do such a think — no matter how sucky they are.

Once I exchanged a watch at Target and it set off the alarm. I left before anyone came, because I didn’t want to wait 10 minutes just to explain that I hadn’t technically checked out an exchange.

He shouldn’t be banned for life if he didn’t actually steal anything, but I don’t know why it would be a big deal for him to show the receipt . . . You have to do it every time at Sam’s Club. Not that anyone would really mind being banned from Wally World.

What a dumbass, its never over till you’re in the box (listen up thieving teenagers, real cops dont work in stores, JUST RUN or find a way out and RUN). HE SHOULD HAVE JUST LEFT. His own fault for being stupid enough to wait around for actual cops. And what makes giving a cop your receipt any less invasive?

Wall-mart is magnet for craziness. I should know, I work in mental health. A lot of our clients have been “banned for life” by one manager or another several of them more than once. It doesn’t ever get enforced.

We had this one woman with severe OCD and she heard voices. The voices told her to go to Wal-mart and dump bleach on her self. She actually did on no less then three occasions, always the same Wal-mart and always the same thing, they banned her for life. Always she went back…Kind of sad really.

It’s a private business (private in the sense it isn’t government owned) so I believe Wal-Mart possesses the right to ban him from the store. Should’ve just shown his receipt instead of being a stingy bitch.

I work for Wal-mart and most people who set off the alarm and refuse to show their receipt do not get banned for life. Even people who have got caught steeling only get banned for 6 months or a year.I do not think this man is telling the whole story

I would have showed the receipt to the door greeter, but you were well within your right to refuse to show anything to the non-uniformed employees. I think the U.S. and global economy would become amazingly healthy if Walmart would crumble to the ground….

The man has the right to not let people check his belongings for the sake of privacy, as well as stores have the right to ban people from their grounds. It falls under the category of trespass (motto: “This is my place and I decide who can be here!”) – or I have been lied to by my friends

I would want too. I hate walmart with a passion, but if he doesnt want to show it he doesnt have too. He might feel embarrassed because MAYBE he’s buying prego test for his gf. who knows?!? at least he showed the police.

i thought it was ridiculous at first read… but after reading the original website i realized that basically… if these types of people keep coming back to walmart.. you waste manhours calling the cops. he wasted the police’s time when they could have been catching real criminals. he was just being a dumbass. he could have prevented the whole thing by just showing it.

I hate walmart and stay clear of thier every chance I get. Once I walked out with cupcakes turned around went in and bought a soda on the way out I was told I needed to show my recipt I told her NO! I walked in with them I am not going to steal CUPCAKES of all thing. I did not even set off the buzzer. I just left and got to the parking lot where my car was hit but that is another story. ( I was not banned)

I don’t think he should be banned but I think he was kinda dumb for not showing the receipt since an employee just saw all the stuff he bought and GAVE him the receipt. people are dumb and need pick their battles…

people shouldn’t shop at Walmart anyways. The low prices do NOT justify the sweatshops it runs in China to generate such cheap production. Like some other people said, everyone should be banned from Walmart.

The man should possibly chemically neutered. He was probably preying on children of families in a family place of gathering like Wal-Mart. His bag was probably full of porn and candy. There was more in the van…

They can ban anyone they want to (except if it’s an across-the-board type thing like banning a specific race. Clearly that is illegal). But it’s his legal right to refuse to have his receipt looked at. It’s an entirely voluntary thing. He could have just ignored them and kept on walking. They have no right to check your receipt in the first place. They can ask, but you don’t ever have to. But don’t expect to be able to shop there again, either, because Walmart is kind of a douchey in its business practices.

Dumb. I’m not sure what to think. Walmart would be private property so uhm the police wouldn’t be in their rights to force the guy to surrender his receipt, but… I’m too buzzed to continue this thought.

Now that I’ve read the story, I don’t think Wal-Mart should have banned him. He wasn’t being a jerk. He was doing what all of us should be doing. You retain your rights only if you exercise them. It isn’t “being a jerk” to refuse to show your receipt (outside of the store, remember) to non-uniformed security.

However, I believe in picking one’s battles. If doing business with Wal-Mart is important to you, don’t upset them to the point where they no longer wish to do business with you. When you stand up for your rights, you should be prepared to suffer the consequences. If you aren’t willing to do so, sit down and comply.

That said, Wal-Mart isn’t government owned. They do have a right to decline to trade with an individual. I certainly hope that Jeremy lives in an area where there are Target stores (or else he might be stuck going to K-mart).

If the banning was via police, then he wouldn’t actually be banned from Walmart in general, just that particular store. Also, it’s not actually a ban. It’s that a private property filed a trespassing complaint, and punishment was deferred with the stipulation of not having any further incidents. He could still shop at Walmart (even that specific store) so long as he didn’t do anything that caused them to file another complaint.

As far as the question goes, by shopping at Walmart you are agreeing to adhere to their methods and policies. Was it an over-reaction? Maybe, but Walmart was perfectly within their rights to call the police on a man they suspected was stealing. People have been 86′d from places for a lot less than a lengthy ordeal with the police.

He was kind of asking for a problem. If you set off the alarm, just show your fucking reciept. “Invasion of privacy”???? You just purchased that -whatever it was you were too embarassed about to show your reciept for- in the world’s largest public corporation. If you want to do things anonymously, do it online!

No. He didn’t steal anything. He was cleared, so what’s the problem? Obviously it’s suspicious if he refused to show the receipt, but it turns out it really was for privacy reasons rather than him stealing, so it should be okay for him to come back.

@LightningRichy - You brought up a good point. However, breathalyzer tests are administered by the authorities who are representative of the government and “upholding the law”. Although our country claims Democracy in reality we are a Republic. That being said, in our adopted style of government a private company should only have the right to do that if the person actually did something illegal…and after this I am sure this guy would never want to go there again anyway…

@OhItWontBeForever - Cool post. Thanks. However, it appears in the article that you cited, that one of the women was only a “suspected” Muslim, whatever that means…and they did not specify any information as to the second woman’s religious beliefs…

@stephened - Good point. But if a Walmart employee just checked him out and gave him the receipt, what could he have “stolen” between the checkout and the few feet to the exit? I have always thought that it is ridiculous how big corporations are given the authority to “police” citizens and then become indignant when someone does not comply…

@Kiwigummy - Thank you. I have been boycotting Walmart for quite some time for the exact reason you have stated. The world would be a better place if we did not allow things like that to happen anywhere in the world…not just step in when it is “convenient” or to our benefit.

@UniqueRainbow@healthkicker - ah. Now that is odd. I read the same story in the paper and it stated that they were Muslims, no questions. It said they were both Muslim, but one of them refused not based on religious views.

What I don’t understand is why didn’t he showed his receipt to the employee. Just by refusing it makes it look like he got something to hide. Just a couple months ago at a Walmart store here a guy was banned from Walmart cause he was the shoplifter ad they caught him one day and now he is banned from the store.That I can see someone being banned for doing something like that.

Yes, he should be banned from Wal-Mart. He is an ignorant fool and refused to show he purchased his item. Wal-Mart is a great place to go for goods at a decent price and I am proud to say I go there when I need things that they sell. There is a lot of dissing on Wal-Mart, but they came fro a small local store and made it big by offering what people wanted at a competitive price. They should be commended for a good business strategy.

Uh… I think we should step back to the “showing the receipt to the *freaking WALMART* employee” first. It’s not invasion, because the damn man bought it from Walmart. So anybody who is a part of Walmart–is exactly as it sounds–a part of Walmart. The relationship is the Customer (this stupid man) and the Seller (Walmart).

I think Walmart should tip off Costco … does Frys Electronics do this too?

Banning him for life is a little extreme. But if the guy set off the alarm, regardless of whether or not he SAYS he stole anything, they should be allowed to check his receipt. Refusing to show his receipt probably made them suspect him of stealing something even more. Sure it’s a little annoying (and somewhat embarrassing) when the alarm goes off and you haven’t done anything wrong, but if they ignored the alarms and never checked anybody, they’d get shoplifted all the time. I don’t consider the receipt that personal of info anyways.

The man was an idiot! Don’t a lot of stores that big ask for it when you go out the door anyway? thats how it is here at lest. Also he made a big deal out of nothing and wasted the time of the store owner and cops. I don’t have this vedanta against wall-mart like a lot of people seem to have, but I have to side with the store for dealing with an idiots ignorance. If you knoe you took nothing then just show the proof with that little paper they give you. -_-

Whatever, yo. Go to the Wal-Mart on the next corner. I mean, it’s not like they have facial-recognition software that runs you through a people-banned-from-Wal-Mart database when you show up on the security cameras (although that would make sense, I suppose).

That is a bit much to ban him,I know shoplifters who did not get that kind of treatment.The RFID alarm is a false alarm often, either the cashier slips up and does not properly deactivate the alarm on the product or they do it but the equipment is faulty…it is embarrassing to be pulled aside and treated like a thief.

What is really scary is what people think violates their rights. If this story is true or not, the guy just finished a transaction with Wal-Mart. What ever happened is between them. That is, him and Wal-Mart. They Have a record already, and it is their business any way you choose to think about it. I also agree that something happened that is not being talked about. As far as being banned goes, ???????????? I refuse to shop there and wish more people would join the movement. They have a nasty legacy.

@SakuraStarlight - I get your point. The thing is I have been in stores many times and been the one that the alarm went off on, as well as witnessing many other people having the alarm go off on them and not ONCE have I ever witnessed the alarm going off for a valid reason. (Note: That means 20+ years of adult life, and several different states.) Eventually someone with similar experience would have gotten tired of it…like this guy seems to have gotten tired of it…

@Brian_Jeremiah - Until things went bad in the 90′s after Sam Walton died. Now they are just greedy, out for the money at any cost and represent, to many people, the greed and love of money regardless of humanity and decency in any other part of the world…

On the other side of the coin, they provide prevailing wage jobs (or better) for people in many 3rd world countries who would not have a job if not for their factories. Just because they don’t make $15/hr doesn’t mean it is slave labor. If in their area it is customary to make $5/week and you pay someone $15/hr they will be targets of muggings, kidnappings and all other sorts of extortions. Not to mention they would be filthy rich. They pay commensurate with the local area and the people who work for them are happy to have a job to be able to feed their families. I think the bandwagon of dissing large companies is filled with people who refuse to see reality for what it is.

@Brian_Jeremiah - actually that may be true as far as the wages–I understand that it may be competitive for the area, but there are some atrocious conditions in a lot of these countries, and for our companies to go in and use little children in unhealthy environments like basements with no windows and things that we would not tolerate in this country is hypocritical and unethical. Just because they provide a competitive wage, they do not have to provide healthy working conditions? That is unacceptable to me, and so is the fact that 5 year old children may be working in a dark basement with no air and sunlight for 10 hours a day…

@Brian_Jeremiah - One additional comment or rather question… just because companies, maybe from all over the world, not just here, use atrocious working conditions so that they have a higher profit margin, is it right for companies in or from the U.S. to do so…we are supposedly an example of democracy and freedom…shouldnt our companies also be held to that same standard? Actually not just the U.S., how can any company, in this day and age, go into any third world country and use the excuse that all of the other companies, as well as them are provide competitive wages for the local economy so it is okay to provide substandard and even atrocious working conditions for their fellow human beings? Just my opinion anyway…love to hear your feedback…

@UniqueRainbow@healthkicker - The alarm systems seem to be either glitchy or too sensitive. My boyfriend and I once bought a video game at Wal-Mart and our change was 29 cents. Rather than counting out the pennies, the cashier just gave us back 30 cents. We walked through the door and the alarm went off. That could have been a coincidence, however, but we weren’t sure. I wasn’t there to witness his actions or how he refused to show the receipt.

that’s dumb. what if he didn’t want the whole world to know he was buying something? somethings are private, and we have a right to our own space. I wouldn’t like it if some one was looking in my bag or my recipt if i bought something like underwear, junk food, or a medicine for something embassassing… or movies and video games, cause then they start talking at you about whatever it is like they know everything and next thing you know, it’s tomorrow.

Having worked as a people greeter at Wal-Mart and having to be the asshole that asks for a reciept at the door, it was part of my job training to ask to see the reciept and verify the items. It usually takes only a second, and it is not an invasion of privacy at all – often the codes are limited to ten characters and you have to just wing it by approximate price of the items. I never blushed or giggled at all the K-Y and condoms I saw leave the store, either (Psst, if you’re buying those at Wal-Mart, have a cashier ring you through – Don’t take self-checkout. They WILL RING GUARANTEED if you check them out yourself which is doubly embarassing.) If people refused or better yet, got aggressive with me verbally or physically, I was well within my rights as an employee aswell as a human being to have them arrested for their behaviour.

It’s well within Wal-Mart’s rights to have their employees to ask and it’s well within their employee’s rights to not be treated like shit for asking. All it is is a really basic and as non-invasive a security setup as you can get.

Yes. It’s stuck up pricks like that guy that make everyone’s life harder. Think of all the people who had extra shit to worry about. Cops absolutely love going to a call where a guy won’t show something to someone but will to a cop. I’m sure that’s why he got the trespassing warning – karma’s a bitch.

@Aamartin488 - I work as Sam’s Club too and I’m not crazy about working there either and I agree with what you’re saying. Something(s) is missing from this story! I think that this guy started showing is behind over something so trivial! If he didn’t steal anything or have nothing to hide then what was his big deal about letting the store greeter see his receipt or even search his bag? It would be only for a couple of seconds anyway. Why make a scene about that?

As for personal privacy what could he have in his bags that could be so embarrassing or private? Preperation H, below average size condoms, an enema kit? Big deal! The store managers could go back later and look at the cameras to find out what he bought anyways.It’s funny how some folks on this post are saying I don’t like Wal-Mart or it’s evil, or should be banned! I bet you these are a lot of the same consumers, unless they’re wealthy, who are Wal-Mart customers when they want to buy certain products at, usually, the cheapest price.

Abercrombie Fitch Outerwears products are designed to portray the essence of East Coast prep schools and the privilege that comes with being able to attend them. There is an energetic attitude displayed in the design of this wholesome and athletic attire. Inspired by vintage style clothing, these upscale outfits of today are sold in over 1,000 stores throughout Canada, the United Kingdom, and in the United States. Many products are also available online or through a store catalog that can be received in the mail.The sales staff of college-aged individuals do a remarkable job at promoting the casual clothing sold at many Abercrombie Fitch Outerwear stores.